This Might Work
by NefariaBlack
Summary: Nymphadora learns about what her clumsiness and a sleeping baby lead to. One shot, written for several prompts, set during DH


_Author's Notes: Written for several prompts, all listed at the end. This is utter family fluff, with a sprinkle of humour._

 _Leave me your thoughts before you go, please._

 _Word count - 907_

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 **This Might Work**

Nymphadora tried being very, very quiet when she moved about the house these days. A clumsy new mother and a weeks old infant were not, it turned out, the easiest of living arrangements. Still, she was doing her best.

Her best fell short of everyone else in the house and could sometimes be heard by people outside, but still.

Remus was happy, even with the war looming over them. Her Mother was happy for them of course, but the shadow of her Father's death was still too close. It was still too close to her too, but she had something else to fill her heart with. Two someones actually.

She should know better, really. Going about the house trying to be quiet while lost in her thoughts wasn't the soundest of plans. So the carpet reminded her.

She was walking into the living room, with a smile spreading on her lips. Remus had fallen asleep with their son on his chest, and the child slept peacefully, curled up and wrapped in a blanket, riding the waves of his Father's respiration. And then the carpet made its move.

Nymphadora's foot caught on the edge of it, the only inch of it that was raised from the floor, and proceeded to careen down at full speed, slam against the coffee table.

The table gave under her weight and broke, the dishes and the remnants of Remus' breakfast took to the air for a couple of seconds before making their own racket on the floor, and all air left Nymphadora's lungs when she hit it too.

Remus' eyes were wide as he braced his son protectively, preparing for an impact that never came. Then his eyes turned to her, while he mouthed 'Are you mad, woman', covering his son's exposed ear, as if that could shield him.

Little Teddy opened his eyes and remained very still and very quiet, in what could only be described as shock. Then he opened his tiny mouth and proceeded to complain, loudly, to his Father about his Mother's inability to walk properly.

"I'm so sorry, Teddy, Mummy is so clumsy."

She was up already, shaking bits of scrambled eggs off her clothes, looking apologetically at Remus, who was up now too, trying to soothe the baby.

"Here, let me hold him," she told her husband, "I woke him, I'll put him back to sleep."

Remus chuckled under his breath, passing her the crying infant and dropping a single kiss on her pink hair.

"You're liable to turn the coffee table into something else if you try to fix it anyway," he mocked, shrugging his shoulders under his wife's piercing gaze. She mouthed 'I'll hex you later', since she was too busy rocking Teddy, bouncing a bit where she stood.

Five minutes later, Teddy still meowled against his Mother's breast. Remus leaned on the doorjamb, enjoying a fretting wife walking about the room, now clear of any signs of distress, rocking their boy in her arms, mumbling little loving nonsense that was slowly working the child into a sleepy stupor.

"You should try singing to him. He likes it."

Nymphadora turned on the balls of her feet, giving him the most disbelieving look.

"I don't sing," her hair turned darker, "he'll just cry louder if I try. I don't think I've ever done it." Her mind was at work then, trying to remember a single occurrence of singing in her life, finding none.

"I'm just saying," he answered, holding his hands up but letting a mischievous smile spread on his face, "it usually works. You may want to give it a try."

She shook her head, her hair going back to bubble-gum pink.

"I'll probably break a window."

They both laughed quietly. Teddy was still sniffing, making little sounds every now and then.

"Have you had breakfast?"

"No. I was going to, but decided to check on my boys first and look what happened," she sighed, "serves me right for thinking that I could be silent for once in my life."

"Don't ever change," and his smile was as true as his words, "I love your clumsiness. I'll make something for you to eat while you take Teddy to his crib."

"I won't ever attempt taking on a flight of stairs with a child in my arms, let alone ours."

Remus choked a laugh on his way out to the kitchen but did not reply. Nymphadora couldn't blame him, really. She and staircases had an on-going disagreement that had started before she could talk.

Teddy had stilled in her lap, his head resting on her right shoulder, looking up at her. His hair went pink, and Nymphadora thought that maybe, just maybe, Remus' theory was worth a shot. She tried to remember a lullaby from her childhood, and found that she didn't know all the words to any of them. She figured she could just hum the missing lyrics. Her Mother was a fan of Frère Jacques, but she settled for one her Father used to sing.

" _Can you count the stars that brightly twinkle in the midnight sky? Can you count the clouds, so lightly o'er the meadows floating by?_ "

Teddy's hair slowly faded back to blue, as his eyes shut and his breathing evened. She felt at ease, now that she had soothed her child. She took a seat on the sofa, and kept singing, very quietly, as she watched her son sleep.

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 _Author's Notes: The nursery rhyme featured here is "Can you count the stars?" and it goes back to XIX century Germany_

 _Prompts and Challenges:_

 _Assignment #5 Charms - Write about someone trying to clean up a mess they made, figuratively or literally. They can or cannot succeed._

 _Caffeine Awareness Challenge: Bicerin - Write about trying something new_

 _Mother's Day Challenge: Write about singing a nursery rhyme_

 _Jewel Challenge: Labradorite Ring - Write about Nymphadora Tonks_


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